A Legacy of Virtues 值得传承的美德
Author: Sis Lee Seow Lian
Translator: Sis Charis Ong
Time flies. It seemed I have gone from being a teenager to a silver-ager in a blink of an eye. I have walked through many storms of life during my years in ECF Holy Word. There were times of grief and there were times of joy, and it was in those moments that we observed virtues in our respected elders who loved the Lord and His church that are worth us modeling after. While there are many whom I will let other brothers and sisters introduce, there are three sisters who I am more familiar with.
Our beloved Elder Tay Swee Lan, who has gone home to the Lord, was well-known for her love for the Lord and the church members. She devoted herself to engaging speakers and securing tithes and better bank interest for the church. Despite the hassle, she would patiently queue up to make the necessary transfer to whichever bank offered better interest rates. That was a very time-consuming process and rather amusing now that we look back. Yet, that was how we grew our finances back then, and the extent she had gone to ensure better financial health for the church. And she was such a moving sight when she gave lessons to the children at Sunday School.
In the earlier days when the church could not find any cleaners, the hardworking Sister Chin Tai Cheng availed herself to do the cleaning. The church has a fairly large compound and it was no mean feat to maintain its cleanliness. Yet, she readily did so whenever her health permitted so that our brothers and sisters could worship the Lord in a clean place on Sundays. Not to mention, she had single-handedly prepared the Easter eggs for every Easter Sunday.
The coffee that we enjoy every Sunday was brewed by our very own coffee lady, Sister Tiong Hong Kiaw. She never failed to do so as long as she was in the country. Though I am no coffee drinker, I am always greeted by the lovely fragrance when I stepped into the church. Everyone loves the coffee made by her and one could tell if she was around that Sunday just by the presence of the coffee fragrance. She is a lady of few words and a little hard of hearing, yet she loyally serves her Lord in this simple way.
These three sisters in Christ loved God deeply and are all His good stewards, worthy of our imitation. In our lives, the Lord values not our success but our growth; not our challenges but how we faced them; not the number of times we fell but the number of times we stood up again; not what we gained but what we have learned.
文/李秀莲姐妹
时间过得很快，一转眼我从少女时代变成乐龄青年。这段日子里在教会走过许多风风雨雨，有悲伤也有欢乐，从中也看见有许多值得我们尊敬的爱主、爱教会的长辈，他们的榜样真是我们可以去学习而把它传承下来让我们后辈可以学习的楷模。这里有三位我比较认识的，当然应该还有其他人，就让其他的弟兄姐妹们耒写吧。
敬爱的已故郑遂兰长老，她的爱主爱会友众所周知，她为教会奔波找讲员、找奉献，为存款的利息转银行，那里的利息高就转到那家银行。今天我们觉得很奇怪也很好笑，但是当年就是这样来生点小钱，去银行排队等候是很费时的，但她就是这样来处理教会的钱财。还有她在儿童主日学对着孩子的讲道，是如此的动人。
勤劳的陈带珍姐妹，早期因为教堂找不到清洁工人时，她就常来教堂打扫。教堂面积大，打扫起来实在也不容易，但她为了让弟兄姐妹主日有清洁的场所来敬拜神。只要她身体健康，就会来教会做这个，帮那个。不但如此，教会每年复活节的复活蛋都是由她一手包办。
咖啡嫂张凤娇姐妹，一年52个星期，只要她在新加坡就会来教会冲咖啡给弟兄姐妹。虽然我不喝咖啡，但星期天一走进教会就闻到咖啡香飘出来的味道。教会许多弟兄姐妹都喜欢喝她冲泡的咖啡。从咖啡香浓的味道，就知道她今天有没有来聚会。她是一位不太爱讲话，耳朵也听不清楚的姐妹，但她就是用那么单纯且忠心的心来事奉主。
这三位姐妹都是深深爱着耶稣，也是上帝忠心的好管家。是我们众人学习与传承的好榜样。在我们的生命中，上帝看重的，不是你是否成功，而是你是否成长；不是你遇到什么问题，而是你如何面对问题；不是你跌过多少次，而是你爬起来多少次；不是你得到什么，而是你学到什么。